Floods caused loss of Rs 10 crore to farmers in Goa: govt

Heavy rains and floods caused a loss of Rs 10 crore to farmers in Goa in the last two weeks, Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar said on Friday.

Kavlekar, who also holds the agriculture portfolio, said around 2,900 farmers suffered crop losses in Bardez, Bicholim and Pernem tehsils in North Goa due to the floods.

As per the estimate of the agriculture department, crops over 1,300 hectares, including those in areas like Diwar Island, were affected, the minister said.

On farmers' demand, the government is considering increasing the compensation for crop losses from Rs 25,000 per hectare to Rs 40,000 for paddy and from Rs 400 to Rs 800-1,000 for every damaged banana tree, he said.

In Pernem, some 1,300 farmers, holding total of 580 hectares of land, suffered a loss of Rs 2.5 crore overall, Kavlekar said.

In Bicholim, 700 farmers lost crops worth Rs 2 crore over 400 hectares, while in Bardez, 875 farmers lost crops worth Rs 1 crore over 265 hectares, he stated.